Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1509370
OCTOBER 11-17, 2023 UCW 39 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM e Cumberland County Golf Championship is the oldest and continuously operating golf tournament in North Carolina. e guiding principles of the CCGC are heritage, legacy and youth development. In 1974, former Fayetteville resident and professional golfer Chip Beck began his amateur career playing and winning the Cumberland County Golf Championship. As a professional golfer, Beck has had four major victories on the PGA Tour and was runner-up in two U.S. Open Championships and the Masters in 1993. Beck undoubtedly has inspired thousands of Cumberland County golfers who have competed in the CCGC over the last fifty-five years. Billy West and Gary Robinson are two talented and notable Cumberland County golfers who have served as mentors and role models for young people and adults spanning nearly three decades. ese two talented and competitive golfers have seventeen CCGC titles between them. Together, they have set local Cumberland County golfing records that will very likely never be broken. Gary Robinson won the CCGC eight times, and Billy West, the 2022 defending champion, has nine. Undoubtedly, there will be plenty of excitement and competitive golf as West vies for his 10th CCGC win on Oct. 13th. West serves as Cumberland County's district attorney and is the National District Attorney Association president. He has competed in the Cumberland County Golf Championship for over 25 years. Gates Four Country Club will host this year's tournament on Oct. 13 through the 15th. e event will open with a welcoming Champion's Reception on ursday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. hosted by the CCGC's premier sponsors, e Richardson Law Firm, Transworld Business Advisors, Healy Wholesale, and Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper. Bill Bowman, U&CW publisher and owner, and CCGC tournament director since 2016, is proud to work with Gates Four General Manager Kevin Lavertu to keep this Fayetteville and Cumberland County golfing tradition alive. e CCGC is proudly the longest continuous golf tournament in North Carolina. Bowman has expanded the tournament in the last couple of years by adding a Women's and Youth Division. is year, Fayetteville's local utility, PWC, became a Youth Division sponsor, encouraging young middle and high school golfers to compete in the tournament, knowing these are the champions of tomorrow. In addition to the Gross Score winner, there will be a Net Score winner in each division, another innovative change to the 2023 tournament. e CCGC is traditionally a Gross Score event played per USGA rules. e lowest Gross Score determines the Cumberland County Champion. By allowing golfers with established handicaps to compete for the Net Score title, he wants to encourage more golfers to experience the fun, excitement, and enjoyment of this high level of competition. Bowman assumed the Tournament Directorship of the Cumberland County Golf Championship 2016. However, he insists the success of the CCGC rests on the support of its dedicated local sponsors: Healy Wholesale, e Richardson Law Firm, Transworld Business Advisors, and Gates Four Country Club to name a few. Bowman is also the publisher of the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper. e Cumberland County Golf Championship supports the Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation, donating thousands of dollars to the KVN mission in prior years. KVN is a nonprofit 501-c3 organization that provides reading, literacy and educational resources free to young children in Cumberland County. Spectators are welcome all three days. e 55th Annual Cumberland County Golf Tournament at Gates Four Country Club is Oct. 13th through 15th, located at 6775 Irongate Dr. Fayetteville. For more information, contact Bill Bowman, Tournament Director, at bbowman@ upandcomingweekly.com or call 910-391-3859 or Kevin Lavertu, general manager, Gates Four Country Club, at 910-425-6667. Gates Four hosts 55th annual Cumberland County Golf Championship by LENA SIMMONS COVER STORY LENA SIMMONS, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.